Friday, December 24, 2010

Imagine that you just received a gift from a very close friend. Wouldn't you want to open it up and discover what she got for you? I definitely would! The entire process is indeed delightful, right from tearing open the wrapper, unboxing the present and discovering your gift, to actually begin using it for real.

Gifting is a wonderful concept.

It reminds you of someone you love.

It gives you an opportunity to show that you care.

It helps keep in touch.

It brings delight and excitement to any occasion.

It brings something new to your lives.

It helps spread happiness and joy.

There are many occasions that present an opportunity to exercise this wonderful concept of gifting. It could be a birthday, anniversary, a promotion, new job, marriage, Christmas, New Years or a farewell. Each is special and in my opinion should be personal as well. The more personal it is, the more thought provoking it tends to be, and the closer it gets to being what I described above.

I have a unique attitude towards gifting. I always think it is better to gift something of value rather than something that just looks pretty (flowers anyone?). I also tend to believe that a good gift is one that adds some kind of value. This is partly why I strongly dislike gifts such as money or gift vouchers - yes, it does make people happy, and they do get to buy whatever they want; but they could've gotten those things themselves too if it was so important to them. And if they buy things from your gift voucher that they wouldn't have otherwise bought, it probably isn't that important.

Besides being personal, it is really a matter of great self-satisfaction if you can find something that not only adds value, but is also quite unlikely to be bought by the person herself. I like to call this unique value addition. In essence, what you gift to people brings about a positive change in their lives which they probably wouldn't have brought upon themselves if it were not for you. There are many unique advantages to this.

It adds real value to the person you are gifting.

It shows your thoughtfulness.

It adds a personal touch.

It builds a connection.

It makes an impactful difference.

So, what are your ideas on gifts for different occasions and what will you be buying?

PS: Flowers are a wonderful choice of gift for certain occasions and nothing else probably compares in conveying the same emotion across. I am just against the notion of gifting flowers when its 'too much effort to go look for a gift to buy'.